Chapter 33 Tyler
I tug at the fit of my suit jacket, doing my best to smooth it down over my chest and shoulders.
I’m not used to wearing this kind of thing. But I have the feeling Sabrina would march me right back out the gates if I showed up inappropriately dressed. I grin. No one I’d rather get ordered around by.
I’m so busy smiling—imagining holding her waist while we dance, running my fingers through her hair, sneaking a kiss during a slow song—that I follow the crowd of students all the way to the entrance to the field without seeing a thing.
And then she’s right in front of me, and everything I was imagining pales in comparison to the reality of her.
She’s taking students’ tickets, beaming at each one.
She’s dressed in a short, gauzy blue dress.
Lots of petallike layers, dusting the tops of her thighs, lifting slightly every time she moves.
She reminds me of a princess—but a princess with legs for days.
Tinker Bell, maybe. Was Tinker Bell a princess?
Her skin glimmers in the stadium lights. Her collarbone, shoulders, neck—all exposed and looking so smooth and soft. Her hair is up the way it was on our diner date, and I’m simultaneously glad for the way it shows off the elegance of her neck and am itching to take it down.
I can’t believe she’s mine.
The line inches forward, and I do my best to keep my idiotic smile from cracking my face in half.
“Have a great time!” Sabrina says as she tears the ticket of the student in front of me. “If you post to socials, hashtag HamiltonLakesHomecoming!”
And then she catches sight of me, and her words trickle to a stop.
I grin, letting my eyes drift up and down her outfit one more time before meeting her gaze. “You did it.”
She raises one finger in the air. “We did it.”
I glow with pride. I like being a we with her.
“All right, Miss Spirit Committee.” I gently grasp her arm and start to tug her away from her post. “As your date, I must insist you take a break from managing this event to dance with me.”
“Oh, but who’s going to—”
“For at least three dances.” I pull back just enough to look her over one more time. “It would be criminal to let that dress go to waste.”
She blushes, muttering something about how I have Kara to thank for that, and I can’t help smiling at the sight of Sabrina disconcerted.
After a flustered moment of trying to avoid my gaze, she lets her smile creep across her face.
“Well, in that case… I think I can agree to your terms. Catch you in a minute? As soon as I can get someone to cover my position.”
I lean toward her ear as I pass, whispering, “Don’t be too long.”
Her eyes follow me as I weave through the crowd and toward the field, and I’ve never felt so proud of myself.
The field is totally transformed from yesterday’s game.
The lights are the only thing that’s consistent, illuminating everyone in their finest gowns and suits.
Otherwise, it’s a riot of flowers Sabrina got the shop downtown to donate; a photo booth off to the side that people keep piling into and spilling out of with laughter; a buffet of drinks and snacks manned by eagle-eyed teachers.
I can’t imagine any venue being better. And I kinda like the poetry of my success and Sabrina’s being in the same spot.
Nothing feels better than solving a problem for the girl who solves everyone else’s.
The field is already full. Ryan’s in the center of a dance circle, of course, looking entirely recovered from the events of the last few days. Alex and Max dance with him, and Max doesn’t even look disappointed the event isn’t Gatsby themed.
Most of the football team is huddled together near the end zone, and it kinda looks like Kai is trying to teach them “The Super Bowl Shuffle.” I grin—gonna have to get closer to that action while I wait for Sabrina.
Even Dawson and Harper are here, ignoring everything happening around them.
Harper’s wearing a long black dress that suits her pale skin and elegant frame, and Dawson’s wearing an impeccably tailored suit—probably his game suit—that shows off his broad shoulders.
She’s nestled into his chest, and his arms are around her waist, and he’s grinning like a fool.
They look like they’ve never been happier.
He catches my eye over her head and raises an eyebrow. I hear the unspoken question—How’s that girl of yours?—so I just smile and nod back, remembering the way he’d talked about the girls who run our lives.
Yeah. I can’t wait to hold mine the way Dawson’s holding Harper.
“Oh my God, Tyler, you look hot.” Kara hurries over, leaving Will sipping a soda by the sidelines.
He’s even more formally dressed than usual tonight in a three-piece suit and fedora.
He tips his hat to me, then returns his gaze directly to Kara in a way that tells me I’d better keep this conversation short.
If that’s the way I look at Sabrina, it’s no wonder so many people were onto us even before we admitted our own feelings.
“But I came over because I owe you an apology,” Kara continues, and I refocus. She bites her lip. “I never should have believed the rumors about you. You gave us no reason to think you were anything but a good guy, and honestly, I’ve never seen Sabrina so happy.”
I can’t help the stirring of pride in my chest. “Really?”
She nods. “Really. You’re good for her. Make her laugh. Help her relax. And she can count on you, you know? That’s important to her.”
“Well.” I cough, trying not to let on just how much this means to me. “I can count on her, too. So can everyone. And she’s been through enough this year. She deserves something good.”
Kara and I lock eyes in the middle of the swirl of students, dancers eddying around us. It feels like some kind of handoff, like I’ve just signed a contract to take care of her best friend.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Kara grins. “I hope she can chill out for the rest of the year. I swear things aren’t usually so dramatic around here! After homecoming, things will calm down. Almost certainly. Well, probably.” She frowns. “At least until hockey season.”
And with that, she’s off, Will sweeping her away toward the crowd of dancers.
I’m grinning after her when someone taps me on the shoulder, and I turn to see Sabrina smiling up at me. “Kara’s not being mean to you, is she?” she asks.
“The opposite, actually.” I take a step toward her, resting a hand on her waist. “I think we’re friends. She said she gives her blessing.”
“Oh.” Sabrina’s smile widens. She looks like she hasn’t stopped beaming all night, and might not for some time. “Good, because otherwise you were going to have to duel her for my honor. I know you’re big and all, but that girl is not to be underestimated.”
My grin only widens. I barely know what we’re talking about, and I don’t care. The only thing that matters is Sabrina standing in front of me. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
She flushes under my gaze. “Well, now that the question of duels is settled… can I claim my first dance?”
I wrap my arms around her and sweep her out onto the “dance floor,” right around the thirty-yard line.
The current song is fast and full of the same joy thrumming in my chest, but it quickly transitions into something slow and vibe-y—perfect for holding this girl close, the way I’ve been dying to since the first day I saw her.
When I came to Hamilton Lakes, I had no idea something this good awaited me. I thought the best I could hope for was the peace of keeping myself at a distance. If I didn’t get too close to anyone, they couldn’t hurt me.
But here I am, Sabrina’s rose-and-vanilla scent surrounding me, every movement of her hips under my hands making me simultaneously grateful for this moment and eager for the moment we can be alone together again.
She smiles up at me as if she’s thinking the same thing, and I can’t resist bending to plant a slow, melting kiss on her lips.
“Best homecoming ever,” I say when I pull back.
She keeps her eyes closed, humming in assent. “I really have outdone myself.” She opens them a crack to peek at me. “Now you see what Hamilton Lakes has to offer, huh?”
I pull her closer again with a light laugh. “Do I ever.”
And then something hits my forehead. Something that can’t be anything but… a raindrop.
Oh no. I frown, looking up to confirm. The one sure pitfall of an outdoor dance—in Hamilton Lakes, in October. Shit. I should have thought of this. If the dance is ruined now, it’s going to be all my fault.
I glance at Sabrina, hoping she hasn’t noticed. She just wraps her arms around my neck, pressing closer to me—and if that’s an attempt to distract herself from the way her image of the night is about to be destroyed, I’ll take it.
But as the song ends, the drizzle picks up to a full-on shower.
“It’s not raining, is it?” Sabrina whispers against my chest. The rain is soaking her hair, her dress, my shirt. We’re stepping through puddles of it. It’s raining so hard, the whole football field might get washed clean away.
I keep a poker face as I say, “What rain?”
Sabrina starts to giggle uncontrollably. When she catches her breath, she sighs. “People are going to be so upset—they’re going to want their money back, and they’ll go home early, and this will go down as the worst homecoming that Hamilton Lakes has ever seen—”
“Sabrina.” I grip her shoulders lightly, turning her to face the rest of the football field. “Take a look around. They’re having the time of their lives.”
And it’s true. While people are shrieking as the rain plummets down, they’re all laughing, smiling.
Naomi has her head tilted up to the sky, arms outstretched; Priya watches with a softer smile than I’ve ever seen.
Gabe is at the center of the dance circle now, Will and Kai and all the other guys surrounding him as he pulls out some truly incredible moves.
Kara seems to be making sure the DJ’s equipment is safely covered, but after a brief thumbs-up she’s already sprinting back through the puddles to rejoin her date.
Ryan’s stripping off his suit jacket, ignoring the admiring glances his wet dress shirt attracts as it clings to his pecs.
He holds the jacket over Marissa’s head to protect her hair and makeup, and the two of them laugh as they race toward the bleachers, doing their best to dodge the puddles forming on the ground.
Harper and Dawson don’t even seem to have noticed. They’re too caught up staring into each other’s eyes.
Sabrina turns back, smiling like the sun coming out through the clouds. “You’re right. I guess we can’t control everything, huh?”
“Nope,” I murmur, bending toward her as the rain falls around us. And then our lips notch together in the most perfect, inevitable kiss of my life. She arches her back, and I pull her closer by her waist, and there’s not an atom of air between our bodies. The kiss is sweet, soft, slow. Unhurried.
As I kiss her, I think about all the things we couldn’t control this year.
The moments we stole and the times her car broke down.
The half-clothed encounters and the chemistry that made it impossible to keep our hands off each other.
The surprise of a person who understood you better than anyone ever had and helped you understand yourself better too.
Trust regained and repaired, and risks taken.
Love lost and found again. Right here on the thirty-yard line.
When I finally pull back, I savor the blue of her eyes and the curve of her waist under my hands.
The tendrils of hair curling in the rain, the relaxed smile on her lips.
Our friends surrounding us, nothing but happy we’ve figured this unexpected, uncontrolled thing out.
And before I kiss her again, I murmur, “And I wouldn’t want to. ”